Dare To Love Series: Daring to Chance It (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Desiree Holt Read Free Book Online Page A

this to rest so I can move on.”
    Wait. Was that hurt flashing in those warm-chocolate eyes? Surely not.
    Beau paused while the waiter brought their drinks. He lifted his bottle and took a deep swallow, as if giving himself courage.
    “I can’t figure out a way to make myself look good, so the best I can do is lay it all out for you.” He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he had a pained expression on his face. “I was in my third year with the Panthers, just establishing my place in the NFL. It was exciting, the thrill of playing in the big time, the—”
    “The women?” she interrupted.
    “Not as much as you might think.” He waved a hand. “I wasn’t a horndog like a lot of the guys, although I can’t deny I had my share.” His mouth kicked up in a semi-grin. “I was a young, healthy guy, after all.”
    “That doesn’t excuse your lack of manners,” she pointed out. “Or of respect for me.” She paused and took a slow sip of her beer, pleasantly surprised she enjoyed the taste.
    “Can you imagine how I felt?”
    “I can.” To his credit, he didn’t look away from her. “And I’ve been feeling like a real shit since then.”
    “Good.” She actually found herself grinning at him. “That makes me feel a little better.”
    “Besides….” He looked down at the table then back up at her. “I was scared.”
    “Scared?” She frowned. “Of me?”
    “You bet.” He reached for one of her hands again, his touch as electric as before, but this time she didn’t pull away. “I know it sounds stupid, but I was so focused on establishing myself in the game. I was afraid to find myself in a relationship that might derail me or change my focus.”
    “A relationship?” She had to stop herself from screaming the word. “It was one night, for heaven’s sake.”
    “But it could have been more.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, and locked his gaze with hers. “I know it could have been a whole lot more.”
    “Really?” She lifted an eyebrow. “You knew that after one night?”
    “Sarah, you poleaxed me. Hit me right in the center of where I live. I knew if I didn’t get the hell out of there, I’d try to figure out how to make things work, even with me in New Orleans and you in Chicago. My head would have been screwed up thinking about you and not about the game. I was scared a commitment would divert my focus.” He gave her a rueful grin. “Stupid, right? Anyway, I thought after the season I could try to find you and—”
    “And what?” she asked. “Jump into bed with me again?”
    He shook his head. “See if we could see where this thing with us went.”
    Sarah took another sip of beer. “So, why didn’t you?”
    “Truth?”
    “It better be,” she told him.
    “The more I thought about what I’d done, the way I ran out, the more ashamed I got. I tried to work up the courage to move forward, but I didn’t have the guts to make myself do it.” He squeezed her hand. “But, damn it, Sarah. There hasn’t been one night of my life I haven’t regretted it.”
    She tugged her hand away. If she wanted to get through this with her pride intact, she couldn’t let him keep touching her. “You got married,” she reminded him.
    “Yeah.” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “And what a disaster that was. Another stupid mistake on my part. The less said about it the better.” He looked at her. “I’m digging myself in deeper here, aren’t I.”
    She wiggled her hand. “A little bit.”
    Before he could say any more, the waiter appeared, and they each ordered another beer. Sarah studied Beau’s face again. Would he answer her next question?
    “So, tell me about this wife.”
    “Out of the picture.” His face became a mask, his voice hard and edgy. “A mistake from day one.”
    Okay, this was obviously a huge, yawning pit he kept a lid on. Her curiosity was piqued, but she pushed it aside, at least for the moment.
    “Don’t you have a